Antique automobiles are those which are relatively old and have been out of production for quite a long time. They are also sometimes known as classic cars. Such vehicles are relatively rare and are avidly collected. There are many different types and models of classic cars, e.g. Model T and A Fords of various vintages as well as many others.
A replacement parts industry has developed for supplying replacement parts for many of the popular classic cars. These parts are reproductions of the corresponding original equipment parts, though modern materials, such as fiberglass, are often used in their construction. In fact, it is now possible to build a replica of a classic car using only reproduction parts, albeit a car having a modern engine, suspension system, tires etc. The street rod industry has grown as a consequence allowing many popular street rods to be built based on classic car or truck designs.
The design of many classic cars, whether a true antique or a street rod, is considerably different than modern automobiles. In many classic cars, the axles basically extended out past the sides of the car so that the wheels were not enclosed within the basic body of the car, as would be true today. Separate front and rear fenders were attached to the sides of the car to enclose the wheels. A running board mounted on brackets extending out from the side of the car bridged the space between the fenders and served as a convenient step into the passenger compartment which was more elevated than in modern cars. Basically, the fenders and running boards were attachments or add-ons to the car body, rather than being integrated into the design of the rest of the car's body.
In addition, the fenders in many classic cars have certain portions which are relatively wide and flat, particularly the front fenders. While the front fenders typically have a rounded front portion surrounding the wheel, the rear half of these fenders is often quite long and wide tapering gradually downwardly to the beginning of the running board to which the rear of the fender is often attached for support. The same is often true to a lesser degree for the rear fender in these cars. The rear portion of the rear fender is less rounded than the front portion, tapering gradually downwardly to the rear bumper of the car.
As a consequence of this fender design, rocks and the like can be thrown up and strike the underside of the fender, particularly the rear and flatter portion of the fender, with some frequency as the car is driven. The impact from such objects is often sufficient to cause a cracking or "star" pattern to appear in the paint surface on the top of the fender. Needless to say, this is annoying to the owners of such vehicles, who often put relatively expensive paint jobs on these cars. When the car is primarily for show, i.e. exhibited at gatherings of classic cars or street rods, the appearance of even the slightest imperfection in the paint job, such as a starred fender, is the cause for a new, and expensive, paint job to be applied.
Various ways of protecting the underside of such fenders against starring have been tried. For example, a heavy coating of a conventional sound deadening material, i.e. a black, tar-like substance, has been applied to the underside of the fender. While this offers some protection from starring, it is very unsightly and difficult to clean. It is also relatively permanent in nature. Once applied, it is very difficult to remove.
Another approach which has been tried is to apply a sheet foam material to the underside of the fender. One side of this material is provided with a sticky adhesive to allow the material to be stuck in place. Again, while this material provides some protection, the adhesive backing no longer sticks once it is removed from the fender. Thus, it is good for only a single use. Since this type of material tends to droop over time as the adhesive backing degrades, or must be removed for show purposes or to thoroughly clean the underside of the fender, it is often necessary to periodically replace the foam material. This can become expensive and laborious since the remnants of the previously used adhesive have to be thoroughly cleaned off the underside of the fender before new sheets can be attached.
Accordingly, the prior known methods of protecting this type of fender from starring have disadvantages which render them impractical for most owners of these vehicles. Many such owners are simply deterred from using them due to their unsightly appearance and the difficulty imposed in cleaning the vehicle thoroughly when they are in place. Moreover, they can be removed once attached only with some difficulty. Accordingly, they do not address the need that has existed for a fender liner which is easy to attach, which has a clean appearance when in place and does not hang down beneath the fender, and which can be easily removed and reattached periodically for general cleaning, all while protecting the fender from starring or other damage from upwardly thrown objects striking the underside of the fender.